A Bronx woman was arrested Friday for allegedly putting her deceased 70-year-old roommate in a garbage bag without reporting him to authorities, the New York Post reported.
Inga Bearden, 53, was caring for Margie Ann William Collins in her luxury apartment along with Bearden’s two teenage children. according to to the New York Post. The four have been living in the apartment since October. Bearden claims she found William Collins unresponsive while taking a shower in the bathroom on Thursday. She reportedly asked her husband, 50, who lives elsewhere, to help put William Collins’ body into a black trash bag. She told authorities she did it because she was worried about lice, according to the New York Post. Despite Bearden’s arrest, police are still searching for her husband.
Caregiver accused of putting dead roommate in garbage bag after claiming she had lice: Source https://t.co/fTmtQfeoPR pic.twitter.com/S6IBTC5M4X
— New York Post (@nypost) March 23, 2024
Authorities said the victim was visiting family from Georgia. Her body showed no visible signs of trauma, but the medical examiner is still determining her cause of death. The body was discovered after a concerned neighbor called the police. according to Up to ABC7. (Related article: ‘Brutal death’: Police arrest man on suspicion of killing baby by throwing her against a wall)
“The way she was screaming… it made me feel like someone was hurt or dead or something was wrong and I needed to call the police,” Alyssa Thirlby said, according to ABC 7. Ta. “I feel sorry for their families because that’s not right.”
It is still unclear how William Collins died, but Bearden told police that the deceased had a habit of ingesting packets of silica gel, a substance generally considered non-toxic. The New York Post reported that.
